Created in the Image of God

The Bible opens with the words, "In the beginning God created ... ." These five words establish a basis for all that follows. As the story of creation unfolds in the poetic language of Genesis it culminates in the creation of humanity. "Let us make humankind in our in our image, according to our likeness ... . So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them."

Humanity, all of humanity, is created in the image of God. As I have been writing my doctoral thesis over the last eighteen months, "The Impact of Imago Dei On Thinking About Portrait Photography," I have spent an inordinate amount of time reflecting on this reality. I am now thoroughly convinced that this theological concept has to be the starting point for all conversations about humanity.

While there is much that could be said, and I wrote plenty in my thesis, the best work I came across was a book titled Dignity and Destiny by John Kilner. Having established his case for the importance of a biblical doctrine of the image of God Kilner builds his thesis around the idea of dignity and destiny and connects these with the two concepts of connection and reflection.

Kilner builds his case from the historical record and Bible arguing that the image of God in humanity is not lost or damaged through as a result of the fall. He states that “There is ample discussion [on] … the destructive impact of sin on people. Yet at the same time there is every indication that people remain in ‘in God’s image’ – that no harm has been done to this status or to the image on which it is based.” This provides all people with a sense of dignity and connectedness to God irrespective of any other criteria. This, Kilner explains, has “profound implications for communicating with those who are not Christians. They are still fully in the image of Adam, subject to the sinfulness of the ‘old humanity.’ As also in God’s image, they are connected to God and warrant great respect in any interaction with them.” 

This in turn has implications for evangelism which begins with recognition that all people have dignity and are created in the image of God. As a result of this Kilner notes “God has created them to fulfill the divine intention for that image, there is reason to think that at least some of them are capable of understanding and responding to the gospel with the help of the Holy Spirit.”

While all of humanity has dignity based on being created in the image of God Kilner also discusses their destiny and does so in terms of reflection. He explains that only those who are in Christ “are in the process of conforming to the image of God in Christ, to the increasing glory of God.”
Kilner is clear in his thinking on the physical attribute of God’s image when he states that “People are God’s image - they have a connection with God and are intended to be a reflection of God – as embodied beings and not apart from their bodies.” Kilner offers a holistic view of the image of God that maintains human dignity and encourages a relationship with Christ in which the person can be restored to more perfectly reflect God’s image as her destiny.

Christians need to embrace the importance of this reality as it pertains to the dignity of ALL people. Not just those like, or who like, us. Even the worst of our enemies have an inherent dignity having been created in God's image.